Joy is the quarterly magazine for Joybound People & Pets!
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Inside This Issue
From Our CEO
Dear Friends,
Autumn is here, bringing with it all the seasonal feel-goods: pumpkins glowing on porches, the buzz of back-to-school, and crisp days just right for strolls with a beloved pet. At Joybound People & Pets, our hearts are warmed by feel-good moments too, like celebrating our 53,000th adoption since our founding in 1991! Yahtzee, a 7-year-old Miniature Poodle mix, has found his forever home right here in the East Bay. And another huge feel-good? Those 53,000 adoptions mean over 100,000 people’s lives have been brightened by furry family members, all thanks to your ongoing support.
In this issue of JOY, you’ll meet some of the inspiring individuals who embody this feel-good spirit. Steve and Glenda Spero, longtime Joybound volunteers, have lovingly delivered more than 40,000 blankets to pets in our care over the past two decades, a fitting reminder of how generosity radiates warmth. You’ll also learn how our McCoy Education Center has come to life, forming new skills and connections. You’ll discover the story of Espy, a therapy dog who, along with his human, helps people heal through Joybound’s Pet Hug Pack® program.
Sensing the present and into the future, our beloved organization is innovating to meet pet families, and future pet families, where they are, in the ways they need us most. Most recently, developmental work has begun on Joybound’s “Pet Play & Stay” boarding and daycare program, a new expression of our mission that will provide loving, trusted care and deepen the bond between people and pets.
This and all Joybound services advance our mission to form and support even more pet families where dogs and cats can be cherished and human lives enriched through the unconditional love pets share.
As our adopters, donors, volunteers, and team members see every day, and as science affirms, the unconditional love of a pet inspires health and happiness. That joy, and your support inspires us to create countless more heart-connecting moments between pets and people in the years ahead.
With gratitude,
Susan Lee Vick
Chief Executive Officer
Fall 2025 Tributes
This edition of Joy recognizes $500+ tribute gifts made since the last issue of the magazine. For more information, please contact [email protected].
In Memory Of:
- Bentley and Norbert,
Donna Maionchi - Robert W. Duffey,
Jeffrey Hunt
Paul Renard - Lucy Herndon,
Christine Herndon - Kenzo,
Beverly and Katsuhiko Momoi - Mary Praznik,
John Praznik
In Honor Of:
- Ethel,
Michael and Heather Stead - Lola and Maggie,
Clark and Linda Vilas - Jack and JoAnn MacCannell,
Linda Sproule - Haley Sayres & Kevin’s Wedding,
Hallie and Henry Alfaro - Deeni Schoenfeld,
Howard and Ardene Schoenfeld - Unleash Happiness,
Wendy Taylor-Tanielian and Vasken Tanielian
We are Joybound People & Pets, formerly ARF, a privately funded, 501(c)(3) non-profit based in Walnut Creek, CA. With dog and cat rescue and adoption at the heart of its mission, Joybound forms, supports, elevates, and celebrates the human-animal bond through services such as training and veterinary care, food and supply assistance, therapy and service-animal programs, and rich learning resources for all pet families.
On the Cover: Joybound Adopters
Photo Credit: Joybound Adopters
Publisher: Susan Lee Vick
Editor: Mawiyah Johnson
Writers: Chelsea Blackburn, Jim Oswald, Mawiyah Johnson
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We’re a proud recipient of funding from Maddie’s Fund®.
We feed our animals high-quality Purina pet food.